Do we put celebrity parents under pressure to share pictures of their children online?

Refiloe Legoale

Share

Instagram

The reality star has been under scrutiny on social media with fans demanding that she shares a pictures of her baby. Khloe's birth came with a lot of controversy following her baby daddy Tristan Thompson's cheating allegations.

See video below

A post shared by Khloé (@khloekardashian) on May 12, 2018 at 5:37am PDT

The other Kardashian sisters on the other hand Kim and Kylie didn't hold back for much long before sharing images and videos of their new borns on social media platforms snapchat and instagram

Many parents may find that having a balance on the number of times they post their child may be tricky because there really is no guideline. According to research posting your child on social media can sabotage their self-esteem and career prospects – and make them prey to bullies and paedophiles.

We find out how social media can be a danger to your child's life.

How it starts

Many of us ‘friend’ people on social media who we don’t personally know. But even if we share photos and posts only with a close group of family or friends, those people may in turn share the photos beyond this circle, Lutchman says. “This may result in other pupils at your child’s school having access to a photo captioned “#ThrowbackThursday here’s my cute boy having his nappy changed”. And as much as they may be close to your heart, such photos can lead to your child being unnecessarily teased and even bullied, which we know may have a lasting impression on a child.

The impact is has on your child's social life

There have been serious cases of peer bullying and outcasting through sharenting, Simon reports, with many parents forced to move their children to new schools. But beyond that, everything we post contributes to our child’s online reputation – a record of shared pictures and comments that’s virtually impossible to delete. It’s easy to ‘label’ your child through your posts, presenting them as a particular ‘type’, even when this doesn’t accurately reflect their personality, says Durban psychologist Dr Akashni Maharaj.

Have you considered the dangers?

The most alarming aspect of sharenting is that once on social media, your child’s photos and information are exposed to those who may be sexually aroused by the images. “These people may easily identify a school uniform, a park where you spend Saturday afternoons, a sports field where you leave your child for training,” says online counselling manager Bhavna Lutchman.

How can you change this?

Think before you post! Ask yourself: would this photo be appropriate if it were an adult? If my kid saw this now or in the future, would they be upset or embarrassed? Would they want this to be part of their digital footprint? Use privacy settings (these change with each new version of Facebook, so reset them each time). Teach your children to do the same when they’re old enough to join Facebook (age 13) and use other social media – it’s as important as teaching them to protect themselves and their bodies in the real world.